Imagine you’re at a party. The music is loud and it feels like there is a million people there, plus you. Someone offers you a drink, and you feel pressured to take it.
You drink it too fast because you have no idea how quickly alcohol can affect your state of mind. After a while, you feel the urge to go home.
You think you are fine to drive. Don’t.
Every year, approximately 1,700 college students die in car accidents because of drunk driving.
About 600,000 more college students are injured while under the influence, according to West Virginia University’s Student’s Center of Health.
This sobering fact should be an awakening to the amount of harm that drinking and driving can do to you and others.
According to Shippensburg University Campus Safety & Security/Fire Statistics, in 2015 there were six cases of university students driving under the influence, 10 cases of public drunkenness and 115 arrests made because of liquor law violations.
Driving drunk has more consequences than you may think.
Fines in Pennsylvania can reach up to $300 on your first offense, $2,500 on your second and $5,000 on your third, according to dui.drivinglaws.org.
After the second offense, you could also have your license suspended for up to a year.
So, the next time someone offers you a drink, remember that drinking and driving is an offense that can take your life, or the life of people in the car and on the road.
If you know you will be drinking that night, find a friend or a designated driver to ensure you get home safely.
Another alternative is to be responsible with alcohol and be aware of how much you drink, and never take drinks from strangers.
Lastly, you could not drink at all, be the designated driver, and if you see someone about to drive, take action. It could save a life.
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